Students’ opinion on the changes to the pharmacy curriculum from 4 to 5 years and the change from a pre-registration year to a foundation year

Introduction: The current initial education of pharmacists is changing from a four-year course followed by a pre-registration year to a 5-year integrated course. A change like this has not previously occurred in the UK, but Canada and Ireland have previously made similar changes and research was conducted. This means there is no data concerning students' opinions about the changes in the UK, especially at this time, where the changes are recently announced. Therefore, it was important to try to gain an understanding of what these opinions are.
Aim: The aim of this study was to identify students' opinions and concerns with the proposed changes and whether there is a pattern based on year of study within the group.
Rational and method: Following ethical approval, a survey was developed and distributed amongst the current MPharm students at the University of Wolverhampton using an online survey. This included both quantitative and qualitive questions.
Results: What was found was a clear lack of understanding and confusion amongst the cohort around use of what these changes mean in the long term for the profession but also for students on an individual level. Also found was that many students believe the current curriculum doesn’t provide students with enough clinical experience to be able to become independent prescribers, despite the fact many of them intend to become independent prescribers and would be more likely to become pharmacists had it been in place.
Conclusion: This study identifies a desire and a need to change the curriculum, but also a lack of communication to students which could be addressed.